Does the Pandemic Need More Science or More Politics?

As California begins to slowly open up, you hear more and more about the debate.

For some it’s too slow, as evidenced by the downtown protest against the Governor and county leaders again this weekend.

For some it’s too fast, as we’ve seen reflected again the last few days with nurses urging everyone to follow social distancing and face covering guidelines.

And over the weekend we heard the Sunday news show analysts and leaders in Washington talking about it; the debate between politics and science.

Is the coronavirus pandemic now more about politics than science or too much about science and not enough about politics?

In the midst of the debate, what the pandemic is clearly all about are the people on the front lines and those who’ve been most affected by this virus.

The nurses who volunteer to work in hospitals that run short of staff because of workers become sick, or the doctors from San Diego who voluntarily go to Tijuana, that doesn’t have enough doctors or hospitals or even enough mortuaries for all those who have died.

And the pandemic also is about the thousands in our community, many with low incomes, who are out of work and not sure if they will be re-hired.And it’s about the hundreds of small businesses that are shut down and may not survive.

To help us all get through this, both politics and science will play important roles.Science to find the treatments and a vaccine as soon as possible. And politics to make sure wise decisions are made to help Americans who really need help.